Upon a pale horse... (The Mists of Ravenloft)

A Soul Saved

2

SEP/13

The chains arose from the mist covered depression in the floor and whispered “Why do you want to disturb my favorite plaything?” Having no patience for threats or negotiations with the beast, the group moved to attack.

Kira conjured a colored orb and threw it at the creature, striking hard a dazing it. Melantha moved forward and began slashing it with her swords, continuing to daze the foul creature. Iadrei chanting an old Vistani dirge as he attacked which caused the wounds on the chain demon to be more deadly. Zora twisted and turned, slashing at the chains and knocking pieces off with each precise dagger strike. Finally Kessler charged in landing several solid blows. Finally the creature fell, almost completely unable to act under the constant attacks.

As the broken chains collapsed to the floor, a great ball of fire erupted pushing everyone back and forming another demonic figure. The demonic creature was not as easy a prey as the chains and the force of its initial attack threw the party off balance. They recovered and Melantha finally took the beast down with a cascade of blows from her scimitars. However, the party suffered several wounds, particularly Kessler and Melantha, that Iadrei was only partially able to attend to.

With the immediate threats eliminated, the group approached the mist covered cloning vat in the floor. Above the vat was clear crystal with something moving inside of it. The mists pulled back from the cloning vat to reveal the body of Evan Moreau, naked except for a bracer on his right forearm.

Kira recognized that the apparatus could be a perfected version of the magic that Evan had explored on capturing souls in objects such as gemstones. Careful examination revealed that the bracer on Evan’s arm contained a socket that appeared to match the gemstone.

Hoping that there was no deception, Kira placed the gemstone into the bracer. Although it was a little snug it eventually slid in nicely. As soon as it was placed in the socket, the light in the gemstone vanished and the body twitched and began coughing and climbing its way out of the vat.

Fearfully Evan asked if this was a trick and Melantha asked if Evan knew who he was. Kira and Melantha were eventually convinced that this was Evan Moreau and tearfully they welcomed him back.

Evan described various memory fragments starting with his beheading at Castle Hunadora. Next recalled waking in this room only to be killed by Azalin. When he woke next he was tortured for a long period of time by the chain demons until Kazandra took pity on him and killed him. During his next period of consciousness Azalin beat him with his fists until he was dead. Evan remembered little else besides these horrible deaths.

Evan was wrapped in one of Melantha’s cloaks and the group started thinking on how to get out of Azalin’s castle.